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Old July 9, 2018   #1
Labradors2
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Default Plants from Artisan Seeds

This year I'm growing:

Blush
Maglia Rosa
Marzano Fire
Orange Capresse
Spike
Taste

These were all bred by Fred Hempel at Artisan Seeds.

It looks as if Blush will be the first to give me a ripe fruit which is great because it was my favourite cherry last season. It really was delicious and even beat out some of the larger varieties that I grew.

Maglia Rosa will probably be next, as she always likes to sneak up on me and produce a cluster of ripe fruit that I swear were not there the last time I looked.

I am loving the look of Spike's carrot-like foliage, and cannot wait to taste fruit from the four new-to-me varieties .

Thanks to Fred for generously sharing Marzano Fire and Orange Capresse with me .

Linda
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Old July 9, 2018   #2
Fred Hempel
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Notes on Spike:

Spike gets very soft, very quick

Fortunately, the soft fruits are generally very tasty

But Spike is the last tomato you would want to grow for the market. It bruises way too easily. It is a tomato for gardeners, for their personal use.


Quote:
Originally Posted by Labradors2 View Post
This year I'm growing:

Blush
Maglia Rosa
Marzano Fire
Orange Capresse
Spike
Taste

These were all bred by Fred Hempel at Artisan Seeds.

It looks as if Blush will be the first to give me a ripe fruit which is great because it was my favourite cherry last season. It really was delicious and even beat out some of the larger varieties that I grew.

Maglia Rosa will probably be next, as she always likes to sneak up on me and produce a cluster of ripe fruit that I swear were not there the last time I looked.

I am loving the look of Spike's carrot-like foliage, and cannot wait to taste fruit from the four new-to-me varieties .

Thanks to Fred for generously sharing Marzano Fire and Orange Capresse with me .

Linda
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Old July 9, 2018   #3
Koala Doug
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Labradors2 View Post
Marzano Fire
Orange Capresse



I'd love to see some pictures of those two when they ripen!



I bought seeds from Fred in January for both of those varieties, but didn't grow them out this year due to extremely limited space. I somewhat unsuccessfully tried six plants this year, but will have to go back to my old standby of four plants. How big (tall and wide) are each of those two? I'm trying to gauge when I can squeeze them in and what size containers (as well as supports) that I'll need.



I'm only growing one Artisan product in 2018 - Sunrise Bumblebee. In fact, the first fruit from that plant ripened today (63 days from transplant; 111 days from sowing):

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Old July 9, 2018   #4
Labradors2
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I grew Sunrise Bumblebee last year. It's SO pretty .

I'm growing Marzano Fire with my compacts in tomato cages. I think Orange Capresse is bigger and I didn't have room, so it's growing in the flower garden with a tall stake. Hopefully, Fred can tell you what size container you would need.

Linda
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Old July 9, 2018   #5
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That actually helps me a lot, Linda... thank you!
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Old July 9, 2018   #6
Labradors2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Fred Hempel View Post
Notes on Spike:

Spike gets very soft, very quick

Fortunately, the soft fruits are generally very tasty

But Spike is the last tomato you would want to grow for the market. It bruises way too easily. It is a tomato for gardeners, for their personal use.
Thanks for the warning Fred, I'll watch out for that. There are lots of greenies on it so I'll look forward to tasting it soon. I bought one of those collapsible square cages (from Home Hardware) just to try it out, and it is perfect for Spike!

I'm also growing Lithium Sunset, another one of yours, which sounds similar as far as fruit not keeping for long, the fruit is beautiful and it tastes fabulous, so all the more reason to eat it fast! Luckily I'm a home gardener .

Linda
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Old July 9, 2018   #7
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Linda, I will predict that you will like Maglia Rosa a bit more than Blush. And don't overlook the Bumble Bee group of varieties. There are a few surprise taste pleasures ahead if you grow them.

Fred has produced several winners for those of us who are just gardeners.
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Old July 9, 2018   #8
ginger2778
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Originally Posted by Labradors2 View Post
Thanks for the warning Fred, I'll watch out for that. There are lots of greenies on it so I'll look forward to tasting it soon. I bought one of those collapsible square cages (from Home Hardware) just to try it out, and it is perfect for Spike!

I'm also growing Lithium Sunset, another one of yours, which sounds similar as far as fruit not keeping for long, the fruit is beautiful and it tastes fabulous, so all the more reason to eat it fast! Luckily I'm a home gardener .

Linda
Linda, we renamed the Lithium Sunset you have, now it's Red Lithium. The real LS isn't supposed to be red fleshed. Fred approved.
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Old July 9, 2018   #9
NarnianGarden
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Still rooting for my fave, Pink Tiger! Growing it again this season, and it is a small but strong plant, with branches that make it look like a Christmas tree...
very unique growth habits.
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Old July 9, 2018   #10
Fred Hempel
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Here is a new one from us.

This one is quite different. Seeds will be available in the fall.

Never been more excited about a new variety.
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Old July 9, 2018   #11
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Narnian Garden, how does the taste of Pink Tiger compare to Maglia Rosa or Blush?

Linda
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Old July 9, 2018   #12
Fred Hempel
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I think Narnian likes Pink Tiger better. But overall, I think the consensus is that Maglia Rosa and Blush are better (flavor-wise) than Pink Tiger.
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Old July 10, 2018   #13
Labradors2
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Thanks Fred, I don't think you could improve upon the flavor of the Blush that I grew last year, although I like the compactness of Maglia Rosa and the taste was right up there

Tom, I'm not big on "crunchy" tomatoes. Weird, I know

Marsha, I didn't realize that the red "flesh" was wrong for Lithium Sunset. I thought it was the skin colour being discussed and figured that mine were mostly yellow so therefore "correct" ha ha. Either way, the flavor is amazing .

Linda
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Old July 17, 2018   #14
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We had our first "Taste" for supper tonight. I was impressed with its sweet flavor, and thought it tasted better than Spike .

Linda
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Old July 18, 2018   #15
NarnianGarden
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Yes, I love the Pink Tiger. Finding the optimal flavor/color stage with Maglia rosa was tricky.
I grew Blush some years ago and really liked its taste it, too. (it did get some BER which I never detected on PT) Will hopefully grow it again at some point.

Last edited by NarnianGarden; July 18, 2018 at 07:07 AM.
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